Selwick Hall, February the ix.
Come Dr Bell this morrow to let us blood, as is alway done of the spring-time. I do never love these blood-letting days, sith for a se’nnight after I do feel weak as water. But I reckon it must needs be, to keep away fever and plague and such like, the which should be worser than blood-letting a deal. All we were blooded, down to Adam; and Dr Bell rode away, by sixteen shillings the richer man, which is a deal for a chirurgeon to earn but of one morrow. Aunt Joyce saith she marvelleth if in time to come physicians cannot discover some herb or the like that shall purify folks’ blood without having it run out of them like water from a tap. I would, if so be, that they might make haste and find the same.
Father hath writ to his cousin my Lord of Oxenford, praying him to give leave for Wat to visit us at home. ’Tis four years sithence he were here; and Father hath been wont to say that shall be a rare well-writ letter which shall (in common cases) do half the good of a talk face to face. I can see he is somewhat diseaseful touching Wat, lest he should slide into ill ways.
We do hear of old Nanny, that cometh by nows and thens for waste victuals, that daft Madge is something sick. Her grandmother reckons she caught an ill rheum that even of Christmas Day when she were here: but Madge herself will strongly deny the same, saying (poor maid!) that she never could take nought ill at Selwick Hall, for never nought but good (saith she) came to her there. Mother would go to visit her, but she hath an evil rheum herself, and Father saith she must tarry at home this sharp frost: so Aunt Joyce and I be to go this afternoon, and carry her a basket of comfortable things.
Selwick Hall, February ye x.
A rare basket that was Mother packed yester-morrow for daft Madge. First went in a piece of beef, and then a goodly string of salt ling (for Lent is nigh at hand (Note 1)), a little bottle of cinnamon water, divers pots of conserves and honey, a roll of butter, a half-dozen of eggs (which at this present are ill to come by, for the hens will scarce lay this frost weather); and two of the new foreign fruit called oranges (first introduced in 1568), which have been of late brought from abroad, and Ned did bring unto Mother a little basket of them.
We had an ill walk, for there hath been frost after snow, and the roads be slippy as they were greased with butter. Howbeit, we come at last safe to Madge’s door, and there found daft Madge in a great chair afore the fire, propped up of pillows, and old Madge her grandmother sat a-sewing, with her horn-glasses across her nose, and by her old Isaac Crewdson, that is daft Madge her grandfather of the other side. She smiled all o’er her face when she saw us, and did feebly clap her hands, as she is wont to do when rare pleased.
“Good morrow, Madge!” saith Aunt Joyce. “See thou, my Lady Lettice hath sent thee a basket of good things, to strengthen thee up a bit.”
Madge took Aunt Joyce’s hand, and kissed it.
“They’ll be good, but your faces be better,” saith she.